Stef and I lived on the Galapagos for a month, and were lucky enough to visit 7 or 8 of the 15 or so islands in the archipelago. You know them as the inspiration for Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”, but they have a checkered past. As different islands were colonized, different individuals seized and lost power. Now it’s different of course, as 97% of the archipelago is protected Ecuadorian national park, and tourism drives the economy. I would like to show you five islands today – the four islands with human settlements and Bartolome, the most picturesque of the islands (based on the number of Galapagueran calendars that begin with it).
San Cristobal has the capital of Galapagos (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno), several different tortoise species, and one of only two places on Galapagos where you can see all three species of boobies (birds) in one spot. It’s also where we spent most of our time (our volunteer station was in the highlands). There is a pretty large artificial (read: protected) tortoise breeding ground there as well. See our tourist photos of San cristobal here:
Floreana is the island with the smallest population (120 people, give or take), but was also the first island to be inhabited. A pirate was dropped off there and lived in a cave for three years (yes, we have photos!). We only spent an afternoon there, but it was cool. There were some turtles and some really interesting iguanas there; check out the photos!
Isabella has the most volcano craters and is shaped like a seahorse. It’s also the largest island by area. We spent two days (Friday afternoon, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning) there, hiking along some of the largest crater edges we’ve ever seen and in and around lava fields as well. There are some pretty different landscapes there:
Santa Cruz is the most populous island (at least half of the population of the entire archipelago). It’s also where most tours leave from (Ours left from San Cristobal). The airport in Santa cruz is actually on another island (Baltra), and was originally built by the US during WWII as an alternate to Hawaii (after the bombing of Pearl Harbor). The Charles Darwin Research Center is there, where most turtle preservation happens and where Lonesome George is. We spent one day there during our tour, and four days after we left our volunteer station. These photos are that entire time.
Bartolome is the most photogenic island, with pinnacle rock and twin sand beaches that form the most famous galapagueran landscape (cover photo for all Galapagos calendars that we saw). We spent a single day there with a group of really friendly Ecuadorians from Cuenca, and had a great time. Check out the rest of the photos!
[...] of that side of the Galapagos. If you want to see the pure beauty of the Galapagos, check out our posts on the islands and on the animals. You’ll see roasting pigs, bonfires, crazy showers and sinks. Of course [...]
@Jason – Thanks! The islands are amazing, and well worth the trip. There are so many different tour options, and you can even volunteer through Jatun Sacha (which was the group that organized our volunteer program). Hope you and Aracely are enjoying Central America!
Excellent summary guys! The turtles are incredibly huge! Beautiful pictures as well.